Switch-actuating mechanism



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

SWITGH ACTUATING MECHANISM. No. 528,005. Patented Oct. 23, 1894.

(No Moden) 2 sheets-sheet 2;

AQMATZ.V K SWITCH AGTUATING MEGHANISM. No. 528i005. Patented 001;. 23,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM IvIA'rz, on CINCINNATI, oIIIo.

SWITCH-ACTUATING M ECHAN|SM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,005, dated October23, 1894.

Application filed May 14, 1894. Serial No. 511,149. (No model.)

To all whom dma/y concern: i

Be it Yknown that I, ADAM MATZ, a citizen of the United States, residingat Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Switch-Actuating Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of` this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in switch actuating mechanism.. I

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanism whereby oneoperating a car or lo` comotive, on approaching a switch in a rail roadtrack, over which it is passing, may, from his position on his car, orlocomotive, shift the switch open or shut at will, thereby enabling himto direct such car along the same track past such switch or to direct itonto another track. I obtain these objects by the mechanism illustratedin the `accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a side and partlysectional view of the devices embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a planView showing the box, lever, pawl, springs, track and switch. Fig. 3, isan enlarged plan view of the switch-tongue and lever, spring and wire toshift switchtongue. Fig. 4, is a detailed view of the lever foractuating the switch-tongue.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in each view.

'My invention consists, when applied to a street car, of a shank B,projecting above and `having freedom of motion through the bottom of thecar A, and to its lower end is pivoted the lever or trip dog C, thepivot of which it is desirable to maintain at a nearly uniform heightabove the box D, and provided with a collar b, through which the axleKof the oar passes, which maintains said shank at nearly a uniformheight-being for the most part free from the up and down motions of thecar bed. In order tofurther guard against undueup and down motion of thepivot of the trip-dog C, when ina vertical position, and yet permitenough vertical motion of the shank to admit of the trip-dog C, engagingand pushing over the lever E, the piece, c, is telescopically jointed tothe piece above it,

with a spring d, to normally hold it at a uni-` form height.` The upperend of the trip dog C, is suitably connected with the treadlelever a, bymeans of a wire or rod o, so that when the treadle a, which projectsabove and has free motion throughthe bottom of the car A, is presseddown, the trip-dog C, is

brought into .a vertical position, ready to engage the lever E, on thepawl F, and when the pressure is removed from the treadle, the

trip-dog C assumes a nearly horizontal position by the action of aspringe, whichis suitably attached to the lower end of the lever C and thebottom of the car or some other suitable part. i

In a case where the car, without being turned around, is to be run overthe track, in the opposite direction, switch tongues may be shifted. Thepiece c, carrying the trip-dog C, being telescopicaliyjointed to shankabove, may be twisted half way around, when the wires or rods o, and e,are loosened, so that the trip-dog C, may be made to engage a lever E,or pawl F, on mechanisms arranged for cars coming the other way, bysuitably connecting with Wires or rods leading to the other end of thecar. j

The box D, preferably made of iron, is tirmly fixed between the rails.Within said box and suitably pivoted therein, by means of a pivotalbolt, or rivet f, is the lever E,

with its upper end projecting above the box and in the path of travel ofthetrip-dog C,

and with its lower end attached, by means of a suitable wire or rod g,with an intervening spring h, to ya lever, preferably a bell-|cranklever, G, which is suitably pivoted' so as to pull the switch-tongue H.Working in opposition to the lever G, is a spring I, attached on theopposite side of the tongue H, and of sufficient strength and tension topull the tongue H, promptly toward its other point of attachment, whennot opposed by the superior opposite force exerted through the lever G.As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the spring I, is at its least tension, havingperformed its work of shifting the switch tongue so as to close theswitch, permitting the car to pass on the straight track. i

The lever E, (see Fig. 4) is provided with a bearing shoulder t', uponwhich bears the tooth Z, on the upper end of the pawl F, suitablypivoted within said box D, by the bolt or pivot j, with its other endattached to the box with a spring m, always under tension. At the upperend of the shoulder t', is a notch Zo, into which the tooth Z of thepawl catches when the lever E, is sufficiently pushed forward with itsshoulder t', against said tooth. Said tooth being caught in said notch,the lever and pawl, are held in that position, thereby holdin g theswitch-tongue and the other parts of the device (not connected with thecar) in the position they have then reached. When Y said parts are inthe position aforesaid, they have assumed the position shown by thedotted lines in Fig. l. By the lever E, and pawl F, being forced intosaid dotted line position, the switch-tongue has been completely shiftedand the car may pass on the desired track. Now to shift the tongue backto its former position, as may be necessary for another car to pass onthe other track, the trip dog C of the other car, is lowered, so that itwill, as it passes,engage the top of the pawl F, as shown by the dottedlines, and pull its tooth Z, out of the notch k, whereupon the lever E,and pawl F, by force of the springs, fly back to the position indicatedby the solid lines and the switch-tongue, by force of the spring I, isshifted to its former position.

The lever E, is provided with a shoulder n, l which, when said lever isengaged by the lever 1 or trip-dog C, holds the trip dog C, up just farenough to prevent its engagement with the top of the pawl F, as the samerises, being pushed up by the shoulder t'. Astrong spring in Fig. 1, incase it should be pressed down by a Wagon wheel or otherwise.

The strength and tension of the spring Z1, j is relatively much strongerthan the spring I. The formeris inserted to prevent rupture of theparts, should the switch tongue fail, y

on account of cog, or otherwise, to respond to the pull transmitted bythe rod or wire g.

By suitable modification, readily understood, my invention may beapplied to all' classes of railways and cars, no matter what the motivepower may be.

Having described my invention, what I J, is arranged so as to raise thelever F., to its l normal position, as shown by the solid lines t claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, y

ing the same, into or out of engagement with the trip levermor pawl,substantially as described.

2. In a switch actuating mechanism, the combination, of the followinginstrumentalitiesr--a switch tongue, a pivoted tripping-lever thereforand connected thereto, a locking pawl for said lever, under springtension, a vertically yielding tripping-dog, carried by the car, andmeans on the car, connected to said dog, for throwing the same, into orout of engagement with the trip-lever or pawl, substantially asdescribed.

3. In switch actuating mechanism, the combination, of the lever E, andits lockingpawl F, of a tripping-dog, carried by. the car inline withsaid lever, and pawl, and a shoulder upon said lever to engage thetrip-dog and carry it over the top of the pawl,without contact,substantially as described.

et. The combination, with the switch actuating mechanism, of the shank Bto which is pivoted the lever or trip dog C provided with suitableconnections whereby said trip dog may be raised into a horizontalposition or lowered into a vertical position at will, substantially asshown and described.

5. The combination, with the switch actuating mechanism, of the shank,B, consisting of two parts telescopically joined together, with the tripdog C, pivoted thereto, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the switch actuating mechanism, of the shank B,consisting of twol parts telescopically joined together, with the tripdog C, pivoted thereto, with suitable rods or wires connecting the upperend of said trip dog with a suitable treadle lever a, and the other endthrough the spring e, to a fixed portion of the car, substantially asshown and described.

7. The combination, of the box D, with the lever E, pivoted within it,with its upper end arranged in the path of travel of the trip dog C, andits lower end connected with the switch-tongue H, by the wire or rod g,the intervening spring h, the lever G; the pawl F,

i the spring m, the spring I and spring J, substautially as shown anddescribed.

8. In switch actuating mechanism, the lever E, having a bearing shouldert', the notch k, the shoulder n, in combination with the pawl F, havinga tooth Z, and spring m, under tension, substantially as shown anddescribed.

ADAM MATZ.

Witnesses THOMAS F. GILL. A. B. KURTZ.

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